Oct. 22, 2010
CHICAGO - The UIC men's soccer team will look to capture its second Horizon League road victory of the season Saturday, when the Flames take on host Milwaukee at Engelmann Field beginning at 7 p.m. The Flames have won five-straight decisions over the Panthers, dating back to the 2006 season.
UIC (4-9, 1-4 Horizon) is coming off Tuesday night's 1-0 loss at UMKC. Back-up goalkeeper Piotr Kikloski made five saves in his second-career start, and the Flames took 10 shots despite going scoreless. Milwaukee (5-6-2, 3-3-0 Horizon) recorded its second-straight shutout win on Wednesday, topping Oakland (2-0) in a non-conference match in Rochester, Mich. The Panthers also shutout Loyola, 1-0, on Oct. 16.
"One of our goals at the beginning to the season was to qualify for the Horizon League Tournament and play well once we got there," said UIC head coach Sean Phillips. "We need to go up there (Milwaukee) and find a way to get a win. That would go a long way in helping us stay in the race (for a tournament spot). Our goals are the same as they were at the beginning of the season - we want to put ourselves in a position to win a Horizon League Tournament championship."
UIC hasn't lost to Milwaukee since the 2002 season, and has rolled off five-straight wins over the Panthers by way of a shutout. Last season, Ivan Stanisavljevic scored the game's only goal with 27 seconds remaining to secure the 1-0 win at Flames Field. Two of UIC's last three road games versus Milwaukee have resulted in ties, but in 2008, UIC recorded a 1-0 win at Engelmann Field.
Derek Huffman's seven goals this season lead UIC, and are also tied for second in the Horizon League ranks - his 16 overall points rank third. Eric Frazier's nine points on three goals and three assists have also been instrumental for the Flames' offensive output.
Milwaukee is being led by Andrew Wiedabach's 11 points on four goals and three assists. Against Oakland, he tallied three points with a goal and one assist. Five other players have scored at least four points, including Ross Van Osdol, who has a team-high four assists, and a total of six points.
John Shakon and Bryce Boyd have split the goalkeeping duties, with Shakon starting seven games, and Boyd starting six. The duo has combined to post a 1.05 goals-against-average, and Shakon has orchestrated four shutouts on the season.
Milwaukee leads the all-time series, 16-12-4, but UIC has owned a distinct advantage in the last nine meetings, going 6-1-2, including a win over the Panthers in the 2007 Horizon League Tournament.
